Fruela II of León
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Fruela II (Froila II) (c. 875–925) was the King of Asturias from the death of his father, Alfonso III of Asturias, in 910 to his own death. When his father died, the kingdom was divided, with the third son, Fruela, taking the original portion (Asturias); the second, Ordoño, taking Galicia; and the eldest, García, taking León. As king of Asturias, he had the job of consolidating the region later called Castile and keeping its counts in check.
Fruela's mother was Jimena, daughter of García I of Pamplona. He himself married a Basque from Navarre, but not of the Íñiguez dynasty, but the Jiménez. In 911, he married Nomilia Ximenes (Nunilo Jimena), called Nunila or Nunilona, daughter of Jimeno II of Pamplona.
Fruela maintained good relations with his brother Ordoño, who had the hegemony. They cooperated in the Reconquista and Fruela undersigned Ordoño's diplomas as Froila rex with his second wife, Urraca regina. According to Ibn Khaldun, Urraca was the daughter of the Banu Qasi governor of Tudela. They were married by 917.
When Ordoño died in 924, the magnates ignored his heirs and elected Fruela king. Fruela had never been popular with the nobles and his subjects and his election has been doubted by some, who see it as a likely usurpation. He assassinated Gebuldo and Aresindo, sons of Olmundo, who claimed descent from King Witiza, and thus further alienated the nobility. For this, one chronicler relates, he was condemned to a reign of only fourteen months. According to Ramón Menéndez Pidal, he exiled the bishop Frunimio of León, a relation of Olmundo. Whatever the case, he did reign for a mere fourteen more months and died in early summer 925, some say after having contracted leprosy. The immediate state of Fruela's realm after his death is unknown, but it soon sorted itself out.
According to the Bishop Pelayo, he left three sons by Nunila: Alfonso, Ordoño, and Ramiro. Ibn Khaldun gives Ordoño and Ramiro to Urraca and leaves open the possibility of other children by either wife.
[edit] References
- Genealogy
- (Spanish) Ni obtuvo gloria ni venció enemigo
| Preceded by Alfonso III | King of Asturias 910–925 | Succeeded by Alfonso IV |
| Preceded by Ordoño II | King of León 924–925 | |
| King of Galicia 924–925 | Succeeded by Alfonso Froilaz |
de:Fruela II. (Asturien) es:Fruela II de Asturias y León fr:Fruela II gl:Froila II it:Fruela II delle Asturie hu:II. Fruela leóni király nl:Fruela II van Asturië en León pt:Fruela II das Astúrias e Leão ru:Фруэла II Астурийский
